TOM

         Tom loosened his collar as he stepped onto the bus.  It was a cold day, but the bus was always warm with the bodies of other travelers.  It also made him nervous to be near so many other people when he didn’t know their names, occupations or destinations.
         Tom sat in the second seat from the front.  A sickly woman sat in front of him and coughed every few minutes.  He counted the amount of times that she coughed before leaving the bus: 121.  He decided that some of the coughs he counted as one were really two, though, so he changed it to 147.
         The man sitting behind him was very large.  Tom was surprised that the man could even fit in the door.  In fact, Tom had reason to believe that the man never left the bus.  He was always there when Tom got on and he was still on there when Tom left.  Tom might have asked him about it if the man was not asleep or eating all of the time.
         Finally, the bus stopped for Tom.  He stepped off the bus and looked at his surroundings.  This is when he realized that he had no idea where he was.  An awfully familiar looking woman was coughing on the bench.  It was cold, so Tom tightened his collar back and sat on the bench, as far as possible without falling off.
         Tom and the sickly woman sat on the bench for a long time.  Tom didn’t ever wear a watch, but he didn’t care much about exact time anyway. 
         “Are you going to say anything, son?”
         Tom was surprised.  No one had ever called him ‘son’ before. 
         He pretended that he didn’t hear her and several more minutes must have passed.
         Once again, she said, “Are you going to say anything?” leaving out the part that made Tom the most nervous.
         “Sorry, Mum.  I will sit next to you on the bus next time.”